Dea Ex Machina
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: Deus ex machina- goddess from a machine. Something or someone that arrives unexpectedly to deal with an apparently unsoluble problem. Something Greg House desperately needs to save his job, team, and new found relationship with Cameron.
1. The 'Dea' Arrives

Author's Notes: This is my second foray into the 'House' fan fic world. It's an idea that turned into a story line which turned into a full-blown story. I'm going to continue with this for a bit, though I may also do another story based on another little thread located in this fic.

'Inside Out' is still on-going. I have my next chapter mostly hand written up. I just need to tweak.

* * *

House, M.D.: Dea Ex Machina

When Dulciana (Dulcie) Willis saw the memo, she nearly leapt for joy. An opportunity she had waited years for had finally come. When her assistant, Maggie Appleton, had said that she had some good news, Dulcie had been dubious. Reading the note, however, she found that it while it wasn't exactly 'good' news per say, to Dulcie, it was wonderful news. She looked up from the memo and turned her gaze to the photographs on her desk. One picture in particular caught her eye. It was of a newly minted 'Doctor and Chief of Medicine' Dulcie with her younger sister, Celeste. It was a happy time, one of the last they'd had together before Celeste was diagnosed with cancer. She'd held on for 5 hard years until she'd finally passed away.

The other doctors had said that the disease had been too voracious, but Dulcie had known better. Her sister had been allowed to die by the man mentioned in the memo on her desk. Well, she had to do something, and now seemed to be the time to do it. Edward Vogler had already tried to squeeze her hospital, and now he seemed to have another firmly in his grasp. She couldn't let another facility fall victim. Picking up the phone, she called one of her fellow female administrator colleagues, Dr. Lisa Cuddy.

* * *

"I need a favor," Lisa Cuddy said, shortly when Dr. Greg House limped into her office. House didn't sit down, but rather stayed standing, leaning on the cane he'd used after a leg infarction left him crippled. His scruffy face was weary—no doubt either a result of either his dealings with patients in the clinic or with Edward Vogler, the hospital's new Chairman of the Board.

"What kind of favor?" House asked. His desire to do any sort of favors for Cuddy had shrunk rapidly after Vogler had come on the scene. Any favors asked of House were automatically viewed as another hoop for him to jump through. Cuddy looked at House.

"Dulciana Willis. You know her?" House's attention perked slightly. Dulcie Willis was world-renown doctor. She'd been published in numerous medical articles. Her hospital in Maine had been well-known also until mysterious circumstances had caused a deep fall from grace.

"Yes," House said, brusquely. "I know her. But what does she have to do with me?"

"She's coming here for—I don't know. Visiting for some reason or other. I'm sticking her with you." House's blue eyes were penetrating. If he had to fire one of his team, then why was Cuddy getting a replacement? Or was there something else at work here?

"Sticking her with me. In what capacity? Is she going to be working in my department or are you having her stay in my apartment while she's here?"

"Both," Cuddy replied, sighing. "Look, she has some sort of history with Vogler. The two of you can commiserate. House, I need you to do this. Please?"

House considered for a moment before shrugging. "Fine. Tell her to come find me in my office when she gets in."

"Okay. 2:30 this afternoon it is."

House's eyes widened. "She's coming in today? What if I had said 'no'?" Cuddy's expression told him that she wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer.

* * *

Dulcie strode through the hallways of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital to Dr. House's office. When she got to it, she stopped, staring in amazement. She had expected a neat, organized man wearing a pressed lab coat working on cases or paperwork, maybe classical music playing in the background. Instead, she saw a disheveled doctor with no lab coat, playing a GameBoy, and listening to Bryan Adams, his feet up on the desk.

She opened the door and walked in, somewhat tentatively. "Dr. House?"

He looked up and Dulcie found herself lost in his eyes. Those deep, beautiful, blue eyes. Amazing how clear the color was. Dulcie mentally slapped herself. No relationships right now, and certainly not with this man. Dulcie held out a hand. "Hello. I'm-"

"Dr. Dulciana Willis. Nice to meet you." Dulcie withdrew her hand. This guy wasn't into handshakes, apparently. Trying again to make conversation, she asked, "What game are you playing?"

Her interest made House's brain perk slightly. "'Last Chance'. Level 5."

Dulcie sat down and asked, "Which cop are you playing as?"

"Detective Baerman."

"If you go to the coffee shop on Main when you're low on points, you can get extra lives. Select 'espresso and a bear claw' from the counter." House saved his game and shut the system off.

"How do you know that?" he asked, curiously.

Dulcie grinned as she reached into her bag and pulled out her own GameBoy. "I've played a time or two." Putting the unit away, she said, "I expected someone a little more… organized. Especially with Vogler around. And I should tell you, he hates Bryan Adams."

House gave a rare smile. "So why don't you like him?"

Dulcie swallowed. "Because he killed my sister."

* * *

Unusual behavior was common place in House's office. But when Dr. Allison Cameron looked into her boss's office, she was more than shocked to see a tall, red-haired woman standing behind House, leaning over his shoulder, watching him play on his GameBoy. Every once in a while, she would point to something on the screen and a moment later, he would give her a look of slight amazement. Realizing that she was staring, Cameron sighed and opened the door, deciding to just get to the day's work. House and the mystery woman looked up. "Ahh, you must be Dr. Cameron," the woman said, coming up to her holding out her hand.

Cameron shook it, smiling. "And you are?"

The woman laughed, her green eyes, twinkling. "Dr. Dulciana Willis. But please call me 'Dulcie'. 'Dr. Willis' makes me sound like an actual professional." When Cameron heard the name 'Dr. Dulciana Willis' she mentally froze. What was going on? "And again," Dulcie said, "my reputation precedes me. Relax, Dr. Cameron. I'm just—handling some unpleasant business." No sooner had she said this than the 'unpleasant business' himself strode into the room. Dulcie's eyes flamed at the sight of Vogler. Vogler's eyes had the slightest flicker of recognition, but he quickly hid it.

"Dr. Willis. I was told you were coming. It's a pleasure to have you here." He held out his hand in a gesture of welcome, but Dulcie didn't take it. How dare he try to be all nice and polite when he was the reason her sister was dead!

"Yes, well. I have business to attend to. Excuse me." Dulcie pushed past Cameron and Vogler and headed out of the office. Hurrying down the steps, she stopped at the entrance to the out-patient clinic. Sinking to the ground, with her back to the wall, she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged her knees. "Damn him. Damn the man."

"You're either talking about Dr. House or Vogler," said a deep male voice from beside her.

Dulcie looked around, then up. A handsome black doctor with deep brown eyes looked at her with concern. "Oh, I-I-I thought I was alone. Um, I-I'm…"

"Dr. Willis. Yeah, I know. I've seen your publications." The doctor held out a hand, and Dulcie took it, pulling herself up.

"And who are you?"

"Dr. Eric Foreman. I'm a neurologist." Dulcie composed herself, and then smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Foreman.'

"So which one has you upset: House or Vogler?"

"Vogler. It's… complicated." Foreman gave her a kind smile of his own.

"Well, I'm about to go for lunch. How about you come with me and try to explain?" Dulcie nodded. "I'd like that." Foreman offered his arm to her, and they headed downstairs to the cafeteria.

* * *

"What was that about?" Cameron asked when she and House were alone in the meeting room connected to House's office.

House poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table before answering. "Dulcie's sister died of cancer."

Cameron looked sympathetic, but still confused. "That's… sad, but what does that have to do with-"

"Willis blames Vogler. He wouldn't approve the drugs to help treat her sister, and she died."

"Wait, this was at-"

"-At Dulcie's hospital in Maine, yes." House fixed Cameron with a firm gaze. "Cameron, I know you want to know exactly what's going on, but I can't tell you. All I can say is that it's a very bad situation." Cameron nodded, still not really understanding. After a while, Dr. Robert Chase came in looking oddly at ease, considering that he could possibly be fired.

"I saw Cuddy in the hallway," Chase said as he got himself a cup of coffee from the pot on the counter. "She told me that Dulciana Willis was here. Any idea why?"

Cameron shrugged, but House actually replied. "No idea on specifics. Only that it has something to do with Vogler. Some problem about 5 years ago." Cameron raised her eyebrows at House who gave her a look of his own. Chase looked thoughtful. "Well, it should be interesting to work with her for a while. I should get going. Patients to see, and all that." And with that, he left, his coffee untouched. Cameron looked at Chase's mug, then at House who gave a miniscule nod.

* * *

Lisa Cuddy had many secrets. One, she enjoyed soap operas and watched 'Passions' on NBC almost religiously. Two, she did like Dr. Greg House, if only because she admired his tenacity and ability to get to the bottom of most medical mysteries. Three… she hated Vogler. Oh, she made a good enough show of being accommodating and liking him, but deep down, she agreed with House. Vogler had an agenda, and it was probably not one that would ultimately benefit the hospital. Vogler had Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in a tight grip—one that wasn't likely to be relaxed any time soon. When Dr. Willis called her, Cuddy felt that maybe this was a way to free her staff—more specifically the Department of Diagnostic Medicine—from Vogler's reign.

Cuddy was used to scheming. When the son of one of the hospital donors had come in with something resembling a strange version of pneumonia—in actuality the boy had leprosy—Cuddy knew that House was the only one who would be able to get to the bottom of it. But knowing his mood towards the families of donors, she knew she had to keep his attention on the case. So she'd asked a nurse to swipe House's newly filled prescription of vicodin, and then hide one of the pills in his office. Then Cuddy had made her bet with House. If he couldn't find the pill by the time she was done presenting the case, he'd have to take it. Otherwise, she'd leave it alone. That plan had worked like a charm. The stranger aspects had started to get House's interest just as he found his wayward painkiller.

This time, however, she was dealing with bigger, more dangerous fish. Vogler wasn't as easy to satiate. She'd have to be cautious, and crafty. More importantly, she'd have to plan without Vogler knowing she was plotting against him. That was why she had put House and Willis together. If they couldn't come up with a plan, no one could.

* * *

"So Vogler said that he couldn't get the treatment for financial reasons?" Foreman asked, as Dulcie filled him in on her history.

Dulcie nodded, sadly. "We had the money. But he wouldn't let Celeste be treated. The wo-worst was when Celeste asked me—every damn day—why she couldn't be treated. And I had to lie to her—every damn day. I told her that the other hospital couldn't send it, that tests had shown her cancer was too severe… On the day she died, I told her the truth. I told her I tried, but that Vogler had… He killed her," Dulcie, said, her eyes tearing.

Foreman couldn't say anything to this. This was horrible. How could someone do that to an innocent woman? But apparently Dulcie had more to tell. "When we held Celeste's funeral, Vogler was there. It took me, my father and two of my uncles to restrain my mother. She was screaming at him. 'You killed my daughter, you monster! How DARE you come here!' Then he looked at my family and said in this _sickeningly_ consolatory tone, 'I'm sorry for your loss. I really am.' Then he looked at me and said again, 'I'm sorry.' But it was like 'I'm sorry you chose to make me do this.' Two weeks later, all our patients started leaving or requesting transfers. I don't know what Vogler did, but he ruined us. Ruined our reputation."

Foreman looked into Dulcie's dark green eyes. "And now you want to ruin him?"

Dulcie nodded, then sighed. "I want him to pay for what he has done. For the lives he's ruined." Foreman looked at his watch and saw that he was already late for clinic duty. It was a long shot, but maybe asking Dulcie to help him with the patients would cheer her up somehow.

"Listen," he said, still looking into her eyes. "I'm due at the clinic. Do you want to come with me?"

"I, uh… sure. Why not?" Standing up, she asked, "Do you have a spare lab coat I can wear?"

* * *

"This is very interesting," Edward Vogler said, calmly as Robert Chase finished giving his brief report. Chase was quiet for a moment, and then asked, "What are you going to do, sir?"

"Nothing. Yet. Miss Willis has nothing but her word against mine. And while the death of her sister is very tragic, things like that happen when a young woman has a very serious form of cancer."

Chase didn't want to reveal his discomfort at the situation, but he had questions and needed answers. "What exactly is your connection to Miss Willis, if I may ask, sir?"

Vogler looked mildly interested. "Why do you want to know, Chase?"

This was one question Chase already had an answer to. "If House, Foreman or Cameron start to ask questions, then I need to know how to head them off. You know, divert their attention."

Vogler looked impressed. "Very good. You're certainly a clever person, Chase."

"I just want to keep my job, sir."

* * *

"23-year-old female, complains of a minor sharp pain in her ankle," Dulcie read, as she looked at one of the clinic files. Foreman rolled his eyes. "That should be interesting.'

"It might be. She's also said she's had some numbness."

This perked Foreman's interest. "Could be a pinched nerve. What room?"

Dulcie grinned. "Exam one. Come on, let's go see what's up." Foreman followed Dulcie, who opened the door, and smiled. "Hi. I'm Dr. Willis. I understand you've been having ankle problems."

The young woman nodded. "It's like a quick, sharp pain. Some times it's a little numb."

Dulcie gave a quick nod to Foreman who stepped forward. "I'm going to need to take a look at your ankle." The girl stuck out the offending foot. Foreman checked her out, then told her to wait while he ordered an x-ray and an MRI.

When he left the room, Dulcie followed. "So what do you think?"

"Probably it's just a pinched nerve. Nothing too serious. She should be-" Foreman was cut off by Cameron hurrying up.

"Dr. Willis, House wants to see you. Now." Dulcie looked confused, but headed off. Foreman looked at Cameron. "What does House want her for?"

"House didn't say anything. Foreman… Chase is the one who's reporting to Vogler." Foreman looked stunned. In a hushed voice, he said, "Chase? Hardly seems the type."

"And I do seem like the type?"

Foreman sighed. "I didn't mean that. Look, we need to keep our heads down. If Dulcie-"

"Since when are the two of you on a first name basis?" Cameron asked, raising an eyebrow. Foreman started to backtrack.

"She asked me to call her by her first name and…"

"You like her," Cameron said, a slight accusation in her voice.

Foreman took the offensive. "Yes, I like her. She's a brilliant doctor, she's an intelligent person, she has a great personality."

"Oh, my God. I can not believe you. You're falling for her."

"No, I'm not. I'm just trying to help her. She's got some baggage."

"And you thought you could help her carry it?" Foreman didn't reply, but Cameron wasn't finished. "You're just going after her before House has a chance."

Foreman laughed at that remark. "House? You think he's interested in Dulcie?"

Cameron smirked at Foreman. "Again with the use of her first name. And…yes. I think House is somewhat taken with her."

"Taken, maybe. But it's you that he's got the hots for," Foreman said, quietly, watching Cameron closely.

Cameron looked confused, and just slightly hurt. "He doesn't like me. He said so himself."

"Well, then… he lied. The man loves you," Foreman said, as he turned to go back to the clinic.

Cameron looked at him, then asked, "Are you sure?"

Foreman turned around and gave Cameron a smile. "Yeah. I'm pretty damn sure."


	2. Birds of a Feather

Author's notes: Ch. 2 is here! It's taken a while, as moving plans have slowed me up. I've done some thinking on where I want Dulcie to go as a character, and I've decided that she's going to be a sort of doppelganger to House.

Also, Dulcie's flirting and seduction isn't serious. I'm planning on pairing her with Foreman, as the two seem fairly well-tuned for each other.

Also, I am interested in finding someone who can do a read-through of my stuff before future postings. All interested parties can reach me at my email or by reviews.

Okay. Rambling over. Chapter starting now.

* * *

Ch. 2 Birds of a Feather Peck at Each Other. Or is it 'Stick Together'?

"You wanted to see me?" Dulcie asked, as she stuck her head into House's office.

House looked up, confused. "No, I didn't."

Dulcie entered the office. "Well, Dr. Cameron said you wanted to see me. Any reason she'd lie?"

"Probably giving Foreman a heads-up as to the ID of our mole."

"Ahhh," Dulcie said, knowingly as she sat down across from House. "Dissention in the ranks. Vogler's good at that. He tell you to fire anyone yet?"

"He's done this before, hasn't he?" House asked, his mind working quickly.

Dulcie nodded. "It's his modus operandi. First he isolates those who are the greatest threat to his authority. Then he breaks them up, and then breaks them down. When they don't tow the line… he destroys them. Not them, personally. He takes away the things that make life worthwhile. That's why I'm here. To stop him."

"Hostile takeover."

"Exactly."

House was quiet for a while then said, "I'm thinking of taking off early. You want to get out of here, go get a drink?"

Dulcie nodded, eagerly. "Yeah. Scotch rocks with a twist sounds like a good order of business."

House grabbed his cane and got up. He grabbed his bag and said, "Let's get out of here, shall we?" He offered his free arm to Dulcie who took it. They left his office and headed down to the parking garage.

When Dulcie saw House's car, she stopped, totally surprised. "Wow. A '65 corvette? This must have set you back some money." She let go of his arm and started walking around the car. "Oh, this is sweet." Looking at House, she smiled. "My father was always working on cars when I was a little girl. His last project was a '66 corvette."

House smiled at her enthusiasm. This girl was something all right. But deep down, he knew: Cameron was still his girl.

* * *

The spring evening was perfect for driving in the corvette convertible. House and Dulcie sat in silence until they got to House's apartment. Once House had parked, Dulcie grabbed her things from the trunk and followed him into the building. Once inside, Dulcie saw a pleasantly furnished home, that was kept in a much neater manner that his office. House pointed to a room off of to the right. "Guest room's there." Dulcie nodded and went to drop off her stuff on the sleeper sofa in the room. Closing the door, she decided to change out of her dress-to-impress outfit and into something more comfortable. She chose a red sleeveless shirt underneath a long-sleeved denim shirt. She pulled on a pair of blue jeans and her favorite sneakers and was about to organize the rest of her clothes when she heard the sounds of a piano coming from the living room.

She left the guest room, and looked around for the source of the music. House was sitting at a piano, playing. Dulcie didn't move, but just stood there and watched. Sometimes the notes were soft, delicate, and lingering. Then the notes would become assertive and strong. It took her a long time to finally walk up and stand next to the piano, watching House's face. His eyes were mostly closed, but his fingers flew over the keys, never missing a note. There was a look of peace and calm on his rugged features, and he didn't seem so uptight.

Dulcie didn't have the heart to disturb him. This apparently was one of the few escapes he had, and with Vogler on the loose… How could she disturb House's quiet?

"Are you just going to stand there, or did you want something?" House's voice was so unexpected, Dulcie jumped.

"I… didn't want to bother you."

House stopped playing for a moment. "You're not bothering me." He started up again, and Dulcie leaned against the piano. House went on. "I just haven't had someone around to hear me play in a while. Most nights, I just play for myself."

"When was the last time you played for someone?" House didn't look at her, but asked, "When was the last time you cut yourself?"

"Okay, how did you- Never mind. I…" Dulcie rubbed her face with her right hand. "About a year ago. That was when I had… well, a really bad day." She looked at House. "How did you know?"

"When you offered you hand to Cameron. I saw one of the scars."

Dulcie saw a slight glimmer in House's eye when he mentioned Dr. Cameron's name. "So are you and she… dating?"

"No."

"But you used to. You did go out with her."

House's hands paused for a moment, before resuming the playing. "I asked her to go with me to a monster truck rally. She said yes. That was it." But there was more. He hadn't wanted for that to be it, but that's how it happened. House genuinely liked Cameron. She was kind and gentle, but when she needed to, the gloves came off, and she was a regular spitfire.

"Bad break-up, huh?" Dulcie asked, still watching House's face. His blue eyes met hers and once again, she was captivated.

"Did you tell her you liked her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't." House stopped playing and stood up. He limped over to the kitchen, and poured himself and Dulcie a scotch, making sure to put a lemon wedge in hers. He handed her the drink and continued. "Because if Vogler finds out, Cameron will be gone. And I can't let that happen."

Dulcie took her drink and sipped. "Well, with some luck, maybe Cameron won't have to leave. Your colleague Dr. Chase, though… Tell me about him." House sat in his favorite chair and Dulcie took the couch. "Why would Vogler select Chase to be his mole?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" House asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Vogler's moles are people who like protecting their status. They want to keep their job because it means standing, not necessarily because they're good at it."

House pondered this for a moment. The more he thought on it, the more he realized that Chase fit the criteria. "So what now? Chase is already in Vogler's back pocket."

Dulcie sighed and sipped her drink. "In the words of a philosopher, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. Keep Chase around, but keep him out of any crucial information."

"How long do you think I can survive Vogler?" House asked, his eyes meeting Dulcie's.

She shrugged. "I don't know. He's… tenacious. He only cares about his money. No thought for who gets in his way. But I think you'll last longer than most."

House sipped his scotch again. The further thought of Vogler was making his stomach clench. Deciding to change the subject, he decided to try to find out more about Dulcie. "So what do you do when you're not saving hospitals from evil business moguls?"

Dulcie looked surprised for a moment, but recovered. "I used to ice skate. I stopped after I dislocated my knee a few years ago. I also like to shop. Specialty food stores, not malls. I only buy clothes when absolutely necessary. And I like to draw. What about you?"

House didn't expect to have the conversation turn on him, but his surprise was easily hidden. "I like playing the piano, monster trucks, and interesting cases."

"Short, sweet, and abbreviated. Interesting. Especially due to the fact that you strike me as a very complex person." Dulcie's gaze was again caught by House's blue eyes. She loved those eyes; piercing, yet calming at the same time. But he was in love with Dr. Cameron. Still, she was interested to know just how devoted to her he was. Maybe she could flirt a little. "So, hypothetically, if you and I-" (She put special emphasis of the 'you and I' part.) "-get rid of Vogler… what do you think will happen with you and Dr. Cameron? Think she'll forgive you? Or are you just going to let her… slip through your fingers?"

House's emotional walls went up faster than gas prices in Michigan. _(A/N: any readers from Detroit and its surrounding areas should get the joke here. If not, let's just say I've seen the prices jump $0.12 in the space of about 8 hours.)_ "Why is that any of your business? What if I pried into your personal life? How would you like it?"

Dulcie smiled. "I'd hate it. That is why I very cleverly _have_ no personal life. So, since I have no personal details for you to pry into, I'll stick with yours."

"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?"

"For tonight, maybe."

House sighed. "I really don't know what I'm going to do about Cameron. Honestly."

Dulcie's eyes twinkled. "I believe you. You're protective and defensive. A very interesting combination. You like to be in control. And when someone evades you, you want to know why. No wonder Vogler hates you. You act like him, but you're not as cutthroat and evil." Dulcie got up from the couch and finished her drink. "I think the best way to solve your problem is to fight fire with fire. Good night."

As House watched Dulcie leave the room, he remembered a phrase in a book he'd once read. 'Deus ex machina'. 'God from a machine'. A solution that appeared out of nowhere just when things seemed most dire. Funny that his would come in the form of a beautiful, intelligent, irritating know-it-all woman with red hair and amazing green eyes. But he wasn't a fan of red-heads. Brunettes were more his thing. Leaning back in his chair, House's thoughts turned to Cameron, and his mouth tweaked up in a smile.

* * *

A/N: I loved that 'personal life' line from the episode 'Cursed! I thought that line- coming from Dulcie-would rattle House a little.

Also, the first stage of moving is done as of today, so I should be able to do some more work on 'Inside Out' and 'Dea Ex Machina'. Oh, and if anyone is interested, I need a 'wedding planner' of sorts for 'Inside Out'.

And one more little thing. Since I had so much fun doing 'Hide and Seek', I'm on the hunt for other possible scenes I can do. Suggestions can be sent to the email address in my profile.

Thanks!


	3. Shocks and Surprises

Author's Notes: Okay. I have AOL email again, but for quicker responses, please use the email on my website—address is located on my profile.

I know I've said this before—even mentioned it in my updated profile—Inside Out is still ongoing. It's just taking a little longer.

Ch. 3 Shocks and Surprises

* * *

The next morning, Dulcie woke up to the smells of breakfast. She got up and stretched before throwing on a sweatshirt and heading to the small kitchen.

House already had eggs and toast up when Dulcie sat at the table. He put a couple slices of bacon on each plate and brought them out. "I thought you were the sleeping-in type," House said, off-handedly.

"Only on the weekends. Weekdays, I'm up early." Dulcie picked up her fork and started eating as House sat down. "I didn't think of you as the cooking type," she said, smirking. House gave her a look. "What?"

"You didn't think I could cook?"

"Um, actually… I saw you as the dine out/take-out type."

"What about you?" Dulcie laughed as she had a bite of toast. "I can toast PopTarts and waffles. And I can make macaroni and cheese from a box. Anything else is over my head. Back home, every take out place in a 10 mile radius knows me by the sound of my voice. Last year I got flowers and thank you cards from 2 pizza delivery guys and 3 waitresses I ended up helping put through college. The nicer restaurants keep a table open every night for me."

"So… I take that to mean you _won't_ be making dinner tonight?" House asked, only a thin stream of sarcasm evident.

Dulcie rolled her eyes. "Mac and cheese with hot dogs okay with you?"

House smirked. "Sounds good." After a moment, House asked, "Why didn't you pull your sister out of the hospital when Vogler wouldn't help treat her?"

Dulcie's eyes narrowed. "Wow. Just _kill_ that romantic mood, why don't ya? Vogler prevented her transfer as well." Dulcie's gaze softened. "Look, this is what went down. Vogler came in and made a $20 million donation. Then he wanted on the board. Then he wanted to be chief of the hospital. Well, that didn't sit well with me. I was willing to let him be on the board, but he said that I was soft. Short while later, my sister Celeste took a turn for the worst. Vogler stayed until she died, then he packed up and moved on. I've never heard anything from other people who have been under his thumb. We're Vogler's dirty laundry. That's why no one knows about what happened."

House watched her face change from introspective to angry. Dulcie took a long, slow breath. "It was like… like my hospital was raped. Violated. And after he was done, Vogler just walked away. Swept everything under a rug and paid people to keep it quiet." Dulcie stood up and took her plate to the dishwasher. After a moment, she sighed. "Look, I don't want to talk about this. Let's just… get ready for work." Dulcie went to her room where House heard her sobbing a few moments later. Sighing, he got up and started to get himself ready for the day.

* * *

Foreman and Cameron were already seated when Dulcie and House came in. Dulcie looked worn as she sat down and House seemed even more quiet than usual. Foreman looked from House to Dulcie. "What's going on with you two this morning?"

Dulcie sighed. "Nothing. Just… stuff. Ahem. So… what do we have this morning?"

Cameron pulled out a file. "25-year-old female and 14-year-old male. Both have a red rash on their face, upper body and arms; dizziness; and headaches. The older one is a law student; the other is a high school sophomore. No obvious relationship."

House went to the writing board and started jotting down the symptoms. "Rash, dizziness, headaches. Anything else?"

Foreman pulled the file towards him. "No known allergies that would explain it. Not measles or chicken pox."

Cameron picked up the dialog. "Neither have any family history of migraines, cancer, or any auto-immune disorders."

Dulcie looked at Cameron with a slightly uninterested look. "So basically we have nothing, nothing… and oh, yeah: Nothing."

Cameron looked disapproving. "Even if you are having a bad morning, you should still try to be pleasant instead of adopting House's cheerful demeanor."

"Dr. Cameron, I am pleasant. You should see what I'm like when I'm miserable. We have nothing. Is there _anything_ that even _remotely_ looks indicative?"

Foreman shrugged and passed the files to Dulcie. "Not really. Have fun, though."

Dulcie flipped through them and saw something slightly odd. "Huh. I thought you said it wasn't an allergic reaction." House's eyebrows arched in interest as he went to look over Dulcie's shoulder.

"They both live near the same open market," House said as he looked at the histories.

Cameron looked defensive. "No allergies! Histamine levels aren't high enough to indicate an allergic reaction."

"Wait, what about chemicals?" Foreman asked, thinking.

House nodded. "Sounds good. Get a tox screen. See if anything pops up." He started walking to the door and Dulcie followed. The two walked in silence until they came to the clinic. House stopped and looked at her. "Is there a reason you're following me?"

"Beats hanging around waiting for test results. So, clinic duty. Sounds fun."

House rolled his eyes at her words, but pushed the door open. Cuddy was waiting there with a file in her hand and a smile on her face. "Good morning," House said, more than a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "What wonderful patient do you have for me this morning?"

"Exam room 2. It's a surprise," Cuddy said handing over the file.

Dulcie took it and looked for only a second before giving a snort of laugh. House looked at it, then at Cuddy, incredulous. "You're kidding," he said, his eyes glinting.

"Afraid not. Have fun."

Dulcie and House went to Exam 2 and opened the door to see Robert Chase lying on the exam table, covered in his lab coat, snoring gently. Dulcie leaned against the wall, her arms crossed. "Should we wake him?"

House grinned as he limped right next to Chase and shouted his name. The doctor leaped up, and looked around wildly. Seeing House standing there grinning like a madman and Dulcie doubled over laughing, he glared at the two of them. Though the look made House start laughing.

Chase's cheeks were puffed like a chipmunk with too much food in its mouth. "Stop laughing, House! It hurts like bloody Hell!"

House was still smiling as he said, "Wisdom teeth?"

"No, some idiot took a swing at both cheeks and didn't leave a bruise," Chase said, angrily. "Yes, I had my wisdom teeth out! A few days ago. But I think there's something stuck in there." House grabbed a pair of tweezers and told Chase to lay back. After a second, he pulled out one of the stitches.

"Piece of cake," House said, holding up his prize. "One of the stitches was starting to come out. Go home, relax, and I'll see you bright and early on Monday."

"Right," Chase muttered as he got up and left the room. Dulcie looked at House. "Are all of your cases this much fun?"

"No. Most of them are idiots."

Dulcie opened the door. "Well, let's find one that isn't an idiot."

House's expression faded from amusement to slight annoyance. "You're seriously going to follow me around all day?"

"Uh… yeah," Dulcie said, a slightly insane grin on her face. "I'll be like… the Watson to your Holmes."

House didn't look amused as he said, "I already have a Watson."

"Yes, the enigmatic James Wilson. But he's not here. I am. Take it or leave it."

It wasn't that House minded Dulcie hanging around, but he figured that her time would be better spent trying to take care of Vogler. Still, the idea of someone to commiserate with about clinic patients was interesting. "Come on, then." House said finally as he headed out the door. Dulcie followed, still smiling.

* * *

Around 1:12, House, Dulcie, Cameron and Foreman gathered in the meeting room. Foreman held out the files on their two patients. "Reaction to fertilizers. Got them on treatment."

"They should be fine in a few days," Cameron added.

Foreman looked at House, then at Dulcie. "So what's the deal on Vogler? How much longer till we can get rid of him?"

"Be patient. I mean… it's not like we can just challenge Vogler to a game of miniature golf. Who ever scores higher wins."

"Why not?" House asked, looking mildly amused. "It'll be fun. Have a friendly game, and if that goes down hill, we beat Vogler to death with the clubs. Sounds like a good idea to me. We could do Chase too, if he'll stand still long enough. I mean, he is the ugly, turncoat rat who's siding with Vogler after all."

Foreman looked slightly disapproving. Sure, he didn't like Chase much anymore either but… beating him with a putter hardly seemed a reasonable response. "Is that a stab at Chase when he's not here to defend himself?"

"Absolutely," House replied. "You should hear what we say regarding you when you're not here."

"No thanks."

House looked like an 8-year-old who just heard a friend say that he didn't want to go play. "Oh, come on! It's fun! We have a club. The… Foreman Fan Club."

"House, I think you've had a few too many vicodin," Foreman said, starting to worry about his boss's mental state.

House gave him a doubtful look. "I don't think so. I'm fine. For instance…" Cameron's eyes widened as House got up and went to the other side of the table and stood next to her. "Dr. Cameron. You asked me if I liked you and I said no. I lied. I like you very much. I love you in fact. But with Vogler lurking about, I was afraid to say anything."

Cameron was speechless, whereas Dulcie was smirking at Foreman. "50 bucks. Pay up, Dr."

Foreman glared at her. "You manipulated this."

"You can't prove it. Cough it up."

"No way. You cheated."

"Again… prove it. If you can't, then you owe me."

"Foreman, just give her the money," Cameron said, a sigh of exasperation. Foreman grumbled to himself as he dug out the money and slapped it on the table. Dulcie collected it gleefully.

Meanwhile, House had motioned for Cameron to get to her feet. Foreman and Dulcie looked at each other, exchanging confused looks, then at House and Cameron. House looked ready to bolt, but at the same time, he looked somewhat calm. Cameron looked hesitant. "House, maybe we shouldn't do this."

"Why not?"

"Well, like you said… with Vogler… And I'm sure Cuddy wouldn't like-"

"Since when do I care about what Cuddy thinks?" Cameron was drawn closer to House. Without warning, she grabbed him and pulled him close to her and kissed him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Shouted a voice behind them. They all looked to see Cuddy standing in the doorway with Vogler standing just behind her, looking like a cat that had caught a canary.


End file.
